Oh, Just a Couple of Alien Invasions
by JaceDLark
Summary: When the newly handicapped Barbara discovers that the Reach has stolen dimensional tech, she feels obligated to put together a small black ops team (that even the Batman knows nothing of) to help this other Earth. Unknown to them, another threat from this other world sets its sights on their home. Justice League, X-men and Avengers, oh my! Includes het, slash and femslash pairings.
1. Oracle I

Hey there!

I've had the beginning of this story sitting on my hard drive for a while now and thought it was about time for it's digital birth! But before that, here's the usual disclaimers.

1) I do not own any of these characters, locations, etc. They belong to Marvel and DC.

2) There will be het, slash and femslash in here. Life isn't about conformity and I have no desire to perpetuate it as such. Don't like it? Then don't read or don't flame it. It's as easy as that.

3) I'm Australian. My words may be spelt differently to you. I will not change them to suit you. Also, my knowledge of Americanisms is seriously lacking. I might get things wrong and I would love it if you could let me know when I do. Eg - Jello in America is called Jelly here, thus Jelly in America is called Jam. Confused yet? Now you understand my dilemmas.

4) I don't have a beta. All mistakes (which I hope to keep to a minimum) are mine. Feedback, con crit and reviews are always welcome. How else can I get better if no one tells me?

I hope you like my story and I'm trying to add at the very least, a new chapter each Wednesday. As always, life may intervene... Anyway, enjoy!

Cheers, Jace.

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><p><strong>Oh, Just a Couple of Alien Invasions...<strong>

_Chapter One - Oracle_

Barbara Gordon grimaced at her reflection in the mirror. It had nothing to do with her features and everything to do with the elegant yet confining wheelchair she was now trapped in for the rest of her life. She had only been out of the hospital for a few weeks and every time she heard of one of Gotham's scum perpetrating a crime, she barely restrained her anger.

The Joker had been the one to snap Barbara's spine. She was now paralysed from her lower back down and as much as she wanted to beat his face into the ground repeatedly for several years, it was the Justice League and the Team that were really pissing her off. It wasn't that she was treated badly or anything, it was more that they had already written her off. If there was any sort of action in the vicinity, getting her to safety was their number one priority - Bruce and Tim being the worst offenders. She was just lucky that Dick had taken off for a while, he would have been worse than the pair of them combined.

Not being Batgirl hurt. Initially she had worked so hard to gain Bruce's approval and somehow still managed to conceal her double life from her father, the Commissioner of the GCPD. Maybe now that she was out of the fight as such, she might actually tell him. Then again, maybe not. He'd ground her for life, being an adult notwithstanding. Just convincing him that she's dealing with her recent disability well had been challenging enough. He's been clingier than Catwoman hanging from a ceiling. In actuality, it was starting to grate on her nerves.

There are only three people that are keeping Barbara sane at the moment. The first being Alfred. Somehow the British butler always knew the right thing to say. He had no qualms about reprimanding her whenever she said something out of line despite the protests of the others in the Bat-family. In fact, he was the only person in her life that had not changed how they interacted with her at all. It made her feel normal and she loved him even more for it.

The second was her introduction to Paula Crock, Tigress' mother. The woman was also wheelchair bound and was an amazing help. She spoke candidly of what to expect and how she would likely be treated by family, friends, acquaintances and strangers. She also had many tips for general household survival which Barbara very much appreciated. They had swapped numbers and chatted every couple of days since their introduction.

The final saving grace of the tenuous thread of Barbara's sanity was the most unlikely of all. It was someone that had contacted her through her computer. Originally she escaped to the virtual world to ignore the real one. She had logged many hours on her PC trying to work out what the hell she was supposed to do with her life now that her crime fighting years were at an end.

Barbara had been online perfecting an avatar that Bruce would not know as hers when her screen blanked and then turned a familiar acid green colour. The usual rage she felt at criminals in Gotham swelled within her but to her surprise it eased quickly as she read the riddle in front of her. **What must be given to be real but never with good tidings, an expression that you feel with no Earthly bindings?**

Barbara quickly determined that it was some kind of emotion. An emotion that was given to another during bad times. Her eyes flickered to the many _With Sympathy_ cards she had received lately from her old friends and typed in her response. **Sympathy.**

There was a short pause before a small paragraph appeared. **You, my dear, are still as sharp as ever. My greatest sympathies, Batgirl, for the injury you sustained from the Joker. Despite our sometimes dangerous games together, I never wished such a fate to befall you. As you well know, I'm a genius and I'm certain that I have not heard the last of you. I hope you adapt swiftly to your new situation and wish you well.**

Gaping at the screen in front of her, Barbara shook her head. Against her will, she felt the beginnings of tears welling in her eyes but shook off the tingling and quickly typed a response. **Thank you, Riddler, for your commiserations. You are, however, one of only three who think I will still be a part of the Gotham crime fighting syndicate. My rehabilitation to my new reality has been challenging but I will pull through. Your well wishes have been gratefully received.**

There was a small break before the Riddler replied. **I assume that you are referring to Batman and his little sidekick?**

Barbara snorted.** Heavens no. Out of everyone I know, they were the quickest to send me to the retirement village, so to speak. "For my safety."**

**Yes, because the world out there is a safe haven for everyone. **She could almost feel his sarcasm through the computer. **Well that shows you how obviously unintelligent they truly are. Do they know your character at all? You could no sooner leave this life behind than Poison Ivy would light a tree on fire.**

Hearing laughter ringing around her room, Barbara quickly realised it was her own and sadly noted that she had rarely done so since waking up in the hospital. It was also the first time anyone had even hinted that she might still be of some use in the fight against crime and it warmed her heart, even if it had come from someone who had on some occasions tried to kill her. **Yes. World's Greatest Detective my arse. Well that's a lie. He can follow clues like a bloodhound but once you involve emotions, he becomes a complete moron. Why else do you think Catwoman is the villain who evades him the best?**

**I always did think there was something between the two of them.**

The pair continued conversing well into the night and Barbara was shocked when she realised she actually enjoyed it. It was almost like talking to Alfred but without feeling like she was doing something wrong all of the time, which was rather ironic.

The Riddler often disparaged the Justice League and by extension the Team but after enduring their constant platitudes and sad looks, she found many of his criticisms valid and amusing. He appeared to be delighted that she had joined in with quite a few sarcastic observations of her own. They also spent some time ridiculing the various villains on the scene. Especially the incredibly stupid ones.

Despite her initial wariness, the two ended up conversing nearly every night. She now called him Nygma instead of Riddler. A few weeks after their first conversation, Nygma dropped a hint that his next crime was centred on the Gotham Casino and that she should avoid the place for her own safety. Her first instinct was to immediately tell Bruce but something held her back.

Since her accident the amount of times Barbara had talked to Bruce was far less than how much time she'd spent chatting with Nygma. What little time they had conversed was spent with him asking the same old questions and him making sure she was taking it easy. It was rather frustrating. The crook was being more of a friend to her than her old crime fighting family. Her revelation felt like a slap in the face. So instead of informing them of the soon to be crime, she found herself glued to the television and watched as the Dark Knight and the Prince of Puzzles battled it out. While she was observing them, she couldn't work out who she was rooting for and that should have concerned her but it somehow didn't.

The next night Nygma asked her why she had not given Bats a heads up. It was then that they explicitly confirmed that a friendship had somehow been forged between them. Their nightly conversations continued for a couple of months and he morphed from Nygma to Edward. He was the one who started calling her the Oracle of Information, since she had started keeping a close watch on the superheros of Gotham via her ever-expanding electronic network and would drop interesting but superfluous titbits of information his way.

Like how Robin chucked a fit when he found one of Catwoman's lacy thongs in the mansion's laundry. He'd complained to Alfred who raised an eyebrow at the young master and informed him in his usual bored tone, "Another one? I think that's the fifth time this month." Thus Robin was prompted into a second and even more impressive fit which quickly ended when Batman walked in on the tail end of it and brought the room to an impressive new level of awkward. Edward had long since discerned the identities of the Bat Brood and pretty much every hero and criminal out there so she felt little guilt in telling him the story.

Barbara liked the title of Oracle so much that she adopted it as her new avatar. She needed something that Bruce didn't already know about so she could keep her activities to herself. Oracle was now on the internet, pictured as a brunette elf with a silver tiara who dealt in the realms of information. If she had 'accidentally' recounted a humorous story or two about a current villain, well oops.

Like when she detailed Ivy's latest arrest and how it only occurred because she had been accidentally exposed to Scarecrow's fear gas. The Eco terrorist had thought the Earth itself was actually dying so she went completely psycho. Well, more psycho than usual.

Another couple of months later, Barb realised she had spoken with Eddie every single night for two weeks straight. When she confronted him about his lack of illicit activities, he confirmed her suspicions. He was leaving the game behind. It was all about attention and now that he had a real friend, why bother with Batman? She also felt the man was disappointed with Bruce's inability to treat her the way he used to before her accident. She may have vented a bit during their recent friendship and apparently Eddie could sympathise with her situation.

Eddie was also the only person Barb confided in when she first noticed some unusual activity at Star Labs a couple of weeks later. She usually kept an eye on the lab as a rule since it was often a target of the criminal underworld but the item that was stolen was of major concern for two reasons. First, the item that was taken was a trans-dimensional teleportation device. The second, the thief captured on the security cameras (yes, she had hacked into them) was none other than Black Beetle, agent of the Reach.

Oracle downloaded the recording to her laptop and scrambled the original. The last thing she needed was Bruce finding out and barring her from investigating because she was a quote, "liability." Well quite frankly, fuck that! She arranged a face to face visit with Eddie.

When they first met, it uncomfortably felt like meeting someone via internet dating. They stuttered out greetings and took an inordinate amount of time to actually look the other in the face. Once they started to actually talk to each other and realised their ability to chat in real life was no different from their online conversations, they settled into their usual dialogue. Just faster.

Barbara pulled out her ever present laptop and gently placed it on the table. The pair poured over the footage and decided the Reach must have a new target and it was definitely in a different dimension.

"We have to warn this other world. They have no idea how dangerous these aliens are!" said Barb strongly as she continued to peer at the screen. She crossed her arms over her chest, obscuring the silver eagle motif on the black singlet she was donning.

"Yes," concurred Eddie. "Unfortunately, they have the drop on us. They already have the technology in their possession and could be using it right now, extending their false platitudes of friendship as we speak." The man frowned. He was simply dressed in a red polo shirt and dark blue jeans. They had both decided to dress casually so they could hopefully avoid Batman's attention. She found it strange seeing her companion in something other than green.

"And we don't even know which universe they're going to. There are probably thousands of worlds they could choose from." Barb's expression darkened further.

Eddie nodded in agreement. "Why are you looking so glum, Barb? Our course of action is clear."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Rolling his eyes, Eddie said, "Here's a riddle for you. What do we need to know in order to follow them?"

Barb scowled. "That's not really a riddle, is it?" However, she pondered this for a moment before replying, "Well, we need a trans-dimensional portal machine of some sort and the coordinates of the other Earth that the Reach are travelling to."

"Exactly," Eddie agreed, flashing his white teeth again. "Now, I don't know if you noticed but one of the henchmen in the feed dropped what appeared to be some kind of PDA."

"What?" Barb all but shrieked. She hadn't spotted it and felt incredibly stupid when she replayed the clip. She raised an eyebrow his way. "You're good."

"Naturally," Eddie smirked. "It looks like I may have to take a stroll through Star Labs tonight."

"Wow. That's short notice. Are you..." she trailed off as a strange expression crossed her face. "Actually, I just had a thought." Her grin turned devilish and she practically bounced in her chair. "I happen to know a certain nocturnal enemy of yours who has been working on a prototype of a portable version of a trans-dimensional portal machine for quite a while. It's likely to be finished by now. If, say, a master criminal with a sharp mind were able to gain entrance to the lair and pilfer said device, well the other half of our problems would be solved."

Eddie thoughtfully tapped his chin. "Gaining entrance to Star Labs is one thing but stealing into the Batcave is another matter completely. It will take a week or so before I could pull that off and I'd obviously need a big distraction for Bats and his Birdie. I suppose a week will be ample time for you to hack into the PDA for the coordinates."

Barb glanced around the nondescript café they were dining at to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. "It'll be easier than a Sudoku." She felt a little guilty at how much she was looking forward to this caper and was surprised at how she hadn't batted an eye at abetting a known criminal. Oh how times had changed. For the first time since her injury, she felt the adrenaline rush that could only come from impending action. Stand aside Batgirl, Oracle's on the case.


	2. Scholar I

**Oh, Just a Couple of Alien Invasions...**

_Chapter Two - Scholar_

Edward Nygma was still surprised at how much his life had changed in the last half a year. Ever since he was younger and misunderstood, he'd been searching for attention. As always the negative variety was much easier to garner than the positive, so he naturally became a criminal mastermind. There was no way that his superior intellect would be wasted by being a lowly henchman. He became quite successful at his chosen vocation and finally received the notice he craved as a menace of Gotham City.

Once he had established himself as a threat, Eddie started looking for an equal. Someone to match wits with that wasn't a complete imbecile and Batman stepped up to the plate. One thing he hadn't counted on was the attention turning from wanting to outwit him to just plain wanting him. He had always thought he was above petty crushes but apparently he was not.

Thankfully over the course of their fledgling friendship, Oracle had fed him small titbits of information about Bruce Wayne and his inability to see any shades of grey. When Eddie realised the bat would probably outright reject him due to his criminal history, he was most pleased that Barb had mentioned exactly how 'emotionally retarded' the man truly was. It appeared the detective had never discerned his interest.

The more Eddie learned about the Caped Crusader's character, the less attracted he became. With his waning awareness of Batman, his interest in crime faded too. Which was unfortunate now that he had just been tasked by Oracle to commit two of them. A shame really since he would have preferred hacking the PDA. Obviously puzzles (especially cryptography) was one of his specialties. Oh well, it's not like she could infiltrate a facility in her current state. Yet.

Eddie's heist within Star Labs was ludicrously easy. He was in and out with no sign he had even been detected. The great thing about being the Riddler was that if he didn't leave his trademark stumpers at the scene and wasn't donning his flamboyant costume, no one ever suspected a mild mannered scientist in a lab to be him. Batman would die of disgrace if he ever discovered just how many other jobs he'd pulled under his very nose. Of course, his impending trip to the Batcave would definitely be the most challenging of all to keep concealed.

Barb had offered her help but he'd steadfastly refused. Firstly, that would seem like cheating and secondly, he didn't want her implicated in any way. Somehow she'd recently become one of the most important people in his life. Losing that was unacceptable.

Over the next week he hashed out his plans, noting the various security measures that were likely employed and countermeasures that would probably be effective. After attending a Wayne benefit under the guise of a bartender a year before, he'd narrowed down the most probable locations for entryways to the fabled cave to three.

Oracle let him know that Mr Freeze was going to hit the Gotham Museum that night and Batman would be occupied after 1800 hours. Freeze was always a difficult customer so he'd probably have at least a couple of hours so he packed a duffel bag with his customised gear. He'd deliberately upgraded his equipment and detailed it into a boring monochrome colour scheme. He didn't want this crime traced back to him. To ensure that, he had examined every single part, used acid to destroy all of the serial numbers and disabled each conceivable internet signal that might have tried to connect to them, to the internet or together. Batman's security protocols would definitely be tripped by wireless frequencies.

The mansion was quiet and even though Eddie was certain Bruce was attending to the 'Mastodon Freezing Ray' escapade in the museum, (how pathetically banal for a super genius like Fries, anyone would think it was a Penguin job) he was still decidedly spooked. The correct cave entrance was his second option, behind the grandfather clock in the study. He thought it too cliché unlike his original choice which was behind the oven in the kitchen. It reminded him of the game Cluedo and he almost giggled. Good thing he didn't though as the butler (Alfred Pennyworth, he'd learned) wandered into the room to collect an empty glass on a nearby table, which Eddie had hidden beneath mere moments before.

After the butler had left, Eddie performed a quick examination of the clock and he was able to find a hidden lever so he let himself into the lair. He was almost disappointed with how lax the security truly was. It made sense though since no one actually knew who Batman was, let alone that the Batcave existed in the first place. The laser grid was simply disabled and the cameras easy to hoodwink. The most challenging part was locating the device while avoiding the keystroke alarms and numerous passwords on the computer system that he dearly wanted to take home with him. What a machine!

When he finally recovered the (thankfully completed) trans-dimensional portal device, he allowed himself to look around the room. He took in the grandeur of the massive caves and snuck a quick look at the technology on display. Then his attention fell solely on the alley of memorabilia. The huge dinosaur, the Joker card and the large penny were all extremely impressive. Of course he was delighted to find one of his original puzzle boxes sitting on a pedestal among the other souvenirs. He'd poisoned Batman and the only antidote was in the box. The code should have been impossible to break but the detective managed it like always. His fingers itched to touch it but he restrained himself. Anything out of place, no matter how minor, would give him away and adjusting his small shrine would be like leaving a sign saying "The Riddler robbed you!" It was still flattering that Bruce considered him worthy of joining the display.

Shaking his head, Eddie took one last look around the cave, knowing it would be his last before leaving the way he came. The butler was nowhere to be seen and the Dynamic Duo must have been still tangling with Mr Freeze. He performed a quick tracer sweep of his getaway vehicle just in case and nothing was detected. After he was back home, he contacted Barb through their computer link. **What is something you can't touch and yet it can be tasted, on those who come in third or fourth this accolade is wasted?**

Eddie smiled as a word rapidly appeared on his screen. **VICTORY!**

**Yes indeed. I recovered the trans-dimensional portal device (how about we come up with some sort of abbreviation for that name. It's far too cumbersome) from our mutual 'friends' with no trouble. I'm quite certain I left no clues to my identity and hopefully the detective will be stumped.**

**That's excellent news, Eddie and I agree. How about DD (pronounced as double-dee) for dimensional device? TDPD is still far too long for my liking. Even if Bruce had any suspicions, he'd keep them to himself since he'd rather die than let on that his base of operations had been compromised. I've successfully downloaded the information from the PDA and have decrypted it. I know where they are headed but now more decisions must be made.**

The two of them decided to meet up the following day to discuss the matter further. They also went to a different café just in case Bruce happened to be monitoring one or both of them. Paranoia was preferable to being caught out and having to explain everything.

It was still a novelty for Eddie to wear ordinary clothes in public and it was also funny for no one to give him a second glance. After years of duking it out with Batman, he was used to civilians running away from him in fear. It was quite a nice change. Today he was wearing a charcoal coloured shirt and black slacks.

Eddie was nonchalantly sipping his chai latte when he heard the slight whirring of an electric wheelchair. He sent a dazzling smile Barb's way and presented her with an unsweetened white coffee. She sniffed the steam rising from it before draining half of the scalding liquid, causing him to blanch. Surely that must have hurt?

Smirking as she settled into the empty space at the table (that Eddie had thoughtfully cleared for her) Barb brought out her ever-present laptop computer and loaded the codes she had cracked. The two went through the work together since Barb wanted confirmation that her calculations were correct. They were.

"So," began Eddie, "we have the means to enter this new world but how should it be approached? If we enter in numbers it would look like we're the invading aliens and we'd leave our own world vulnerable. Too few and whoever went through would be judged harshly and with much suspicion or just ridiculed as crazy."

"I've been giving this much thought since I cracked the Reach's code," said Barb.

Eddie's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You mean you finished before yesterday? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well yes but I didn't want to distract you from your much more challenging task," smiled Barb genuinely. "Anyway, I was thinking the best way for us to enter the other dimension would be with a small team. A strike team that could operate without Justice League, the Team or any other organisation's authority or knowledge. An independent collective as such. One that could leave the world for weeks at a time and not garner any suspicions."

"So I'm guessing you mean about five or six, yes?" Riddler tapped a finger on his chin.

"I think six would be the perfect number. Including the two of us, we only need four others." Barb swilled her coffee mug before taking a few more large gulps.

"I like how you've given me the option of joining, Barbara," muttered Eddie in jest.

"Well Edward, I had a feeling you would appreciate being on the side of good for a change since you want to desert your dastardly devious days." Barb threw a casual grin his way.

"Nice alliteration," Eddie noted. "I also assume that you have some candidates in mind?"

"I do," replied Barb. "Firstly we need some brawn since we're both pretty much more suited to the brains department. I think we need Wonder Woman. Her strength is undisputable and her lasso of truth could be invaluable."

Eddie almost sprayed his mouthful of latte over the table. "I thought you wanted some kind of shadow operation, wouldn't the absence of a founding member of the Justice League be far too conspicuous?"

Barb smirked. "Not if she informed the League that she had pressing business to attend to on her home island of Themyscira. In fact, despite their shifts on the Watchtower, most of the Justice League and even the Team do their own thing in their spare time. Obviously, or Batman would never have found the time to take you repeatedly back to Arkham."

"Don't remind me," muttered Eddie to the laughter of Barb. "Okay, suppose we do get Wonder Woman to join our little crew, who else do you think we should enlist?"

"I'd prefer it if we had magic on our side too, so I vote Zatanna. She can always claim something mystical if questioned and can teleport herself whenever she's needed so she can keep up appearances with the League." Barb surveyed her empty mug with a pout and Eddie found himself ordering a new one for her. He was putty in her hands. How ridiculous.

"The next candidate I've been considering is Blue Beetle..." began Barb.

"No," interrupted Eddie. "From what I heard, he was susceptible to attack from the Reach. It would be folly to involve the boy in another Reach war."

Barb pursed her lips. "Fair enough. I had reservations about him myself."

Shrugging, Eddie asked, "So besides him, who else do you think should join our shadow operation?"

Barb sighed. She took a calming breath and said, "The last one I had in mind is someone you're not going to like."

"If it's Batman I..."

"It's not Batman. Honestly! After all we went through not to arouse his suspicions, do you really think I'd pick him?" Her tone implied Eddie was being stupid and he did not like that at all. Especially since she was completely right but he couldn't help his kneejerk reaction.

"Alright, who did you have in mind?" grunted Eddie.

Barb heaved a sigh. "He's on leave at the moment because he wants to find himself or some such rot. Ever since Kid Flash disintegrated, he hasn't really recovered."

"Disintegrated?" asked Eddie in horror. "What do you mean, disintegrated? I saw Kid Flash on the news just yesterday."

Barb gave Eddie a sympathetic look. "That's the new Kid Flash. He used to be Impulse."

"Because the last one just, disintegrated?" It seemed the genius was still stuck on this detail.

"Yes," said Barb. "It was the last stage of preventing the Reach from sabotaging the Earth. Kid Flash helped Impulse and the Flash in creating a vortex but his molecules destabilised and he faded from existence."

The perturbed look on Eddie's face was all the response Barb needed.

"Anyway, since Nightwing is currently inactive, he's a perfect candidate for our shadow ops team," said Barb.

"That's Dick Grayson right?" asked Eddie. "The original Robin if I'm not mistaken."

"Correct," confirmed Barb.

Eddie shrugged. "I have no problems working with him if you can convince him that I will be on my best behaviour." Barb nodded. "Now Barbie, tell me all about this molecule destabilisation and fading from existence experience thing."

"Why?" asked Barb warily.

"I'm curious. He couldn't just disperse into the air. That makes no sense. According to the Conservation of Mass law, matter can't be created or destroyed. I refuse to accept that he just fragmented. Otherwise, there would have been some sort of residue. A body or the parts thereof. To me, it sounds much more likely that he may have vibrated from one dimension to another..."

"Wait," interrupted Barb with excitement. "Are you saying you think he might still be alive?"

"Yes," agreed Eddie, "and now that we have the Double-D..."

Barb perked up even more and talked over her friend, "If we can determine which world he dissolved to, we would be able to bring him home!"

"And use him on our team. Everyone else considers him dead," noted Eddie. "That's the best kind of shadow agent you can ask for."

The pair finished up their drinks before parting ways. Barb's tasks were to convince the ladies to join their team and set their absences in motion. Eddie was to determine if Kid Flash was in fact alive and if so, deduce where he had ended up. Rescuing him would be the next step. Only then would they approach Nightwing since both of them felt Eddie bringing KF back would swing the crime fighter's thought processes in their favour.


	3. Scout I

**Oh, Just a Couple of Alien Invasions...**

_Chapter Three - Scout_

It had been a long time since Wally West hadn't been completely bored. He'd done a great thing. He'd saved the world from an alien invasion's doomsday contingency plan and his reward? Materialising on an untouched world. It wasn't a barren desolate wasteland or anything like that. There were fish, birds, monkeys, flies and even otters. Just no humans.

Wally had run to every corner of the world and there were no signs of humanity. No buildings, roads, farmland, anything. Any hope of leaving this world had faded long ago and lethargy had set in. Why bother caring? What use was a hero when there was no one to save? Why use his superspeed? It would only prolong his suffering by relatively slowing down time.

His thoughts would often drift to his old friends. How were they doing? Are they all still alive? Do they think about him? Do they think him to be dead? What about Artemis? Did she still love him after what might be years? Had she moved on and forgotten him? Probably. Naturally these unanswered questions just further depressed him. Ending it all had occurred to him a few times but he just couldn't go through with it. In the back of his mind, he always hoped that someway, somehow, the Team would miraculously come through and rescue him from his solitary confinement.

So the speedster lounged around and ate whatever vegetables he could. Since his only companions in this world were animals, he just couldn't bring himself to kill and eat them. He was now officially a vegetarian. Beast Boy would be so impressed with him.

As the months plodded on, he found himself returning to where Star City would be in his old world. It was forestland on this planet but it's not like he had anything else to do so he had cleared a portion and built a log cabin to live in. It had been his home for a while now.

Wally ended up calling his hut Star Cabin, in honour of the city where he was born and had lived in. He'd even carved it into a small section of wood he'd found in Africa. It was a beautiful cutting from a branch of an acacia tree. It sat on the grass under the tree it had probably come from near a large lion. Chances were it was a casualty of a territory war. He was in and out of the lion's range before the cat could twitch at his presence. There was no way he'd survived for so long to be a cat's meal.

Star Cabin was very crudely made but it's not like Wally was a qualified (or even amateur) carpenter. There was also a distinct lack of tools to work with since metallurgy was also out of the question. It was sort of halfway between octagonal and circular, made out of logs taken from the surrounding forest. There wasn't a roof as such but he'd made his hut around a small tree and the canopy of thick leaves provided the best shelter he could get. His sign sat proudly on the floor, leaning against the trunk of that tree. _Welcome to Star Cabin, home of the only man on Earth!_

The cabin contained few items since he'd have to make whatever he wanted himself. There wasn't an actual door but rather a boulder that he would roll in front of the opening whenever he needed it. Windows were not present as it would only give predators an entry point. His old (and almost completely destroyed) uniform was dangling from a small branch of the tree. The bed wasn't even really one at all, it was a just a pile of old dried leaves that Wally left as close to the wall of his hut as he could, to keep it out of the rain if possible. Despite his original discomfort with sleeping on leaves, he'd long since gotten used to the crunching sound they would occasionally make and the scratchy feel on his back. Whenever it bothered him, he'd just concentrate on the noises of the forest to lull him to sleep.

Wally had become quite the master of the sounds of the forest thank you very much! He always had to stay on alert, even in his cabin because there was always something out there, creeping or crawling, looking for their next meal. It took about half a year to hone his instincts to hear the call of the forest around him. The small sounds from the insects, the chittering of the monkeys in the trees. If the pitter-patter of small feet were quietening as they left the area, a larger creature was surely searching nearby for breakfast.

Cocking his head, Wally felt his instinct kick into overdrive. For some reason, he felt something was different within the forest. There was no real evidence that something was off, just his instinct. He trusted that instinct. It had saved him many times from snakes, crocodiles and the occasional bear. He zipped around his cabin and found nothing out of place but still he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

Speedily but silently, Wally exited his cabin and pushed the rock back into the gap behind him. Within moments he was speeding through the surrounding forest. He stopped and started all over the place, searching for any hints to his uneasiness. Eventually, on one of his stops, he heard an unusual sound. It was footfalls but they didn't sound like any of the animals he usually heard. They were too light for a bear and too heavy for a jaguar. There was no slithering which ruled out snakes and crocs. What creature was this?

Wally sped up the nearest tree and carefully headed via the branches of the canopy toward the odd steps. As he neared the sounds he heard something new. It was some sort of bleeping sound, something electronic but he must have been hearing things. There was no one on the planet to make a machine. It did sound like one of Dick's old toys though.

The weird bleeping noise seemed to occur more often the closer Wally got to it until he found its source. It WAS an electronic device and it was held in the hand of a man! Surely this was his mind playing a cruel trick on him, like it had many times in the past but then again, he'd never seen this guy before. The other times it was always his friends there to rescue him.

The man shook the appliance and then tapped it. He looked around but not above him. Starting to angrily jab the device, he mashed some of the buttons in contempt. The shrill beeping cut off altogether and the forest was once again all that could be heard. He jammed the machine into a pocket.

The man pressed a couple of buttons on his wristwatch and then spoke into it. "Hey, the tracker went apeshit but there's no sign of West. What should I do?"

Wally's heart was beating quickly in his chest. This stranger knew his name. Was he actually looking for him?

A voice replied from the machine. It was feminine and sounded somewhat familiar. "Keep looking, he's got to be somewhere around there. Eddie, be on your guard. There's no telling how he'll react to your presence."

"Yeah, I don't know if I could have survived living for over a year on an uninhabited planet. I would have gone mental Barb."

Barb? BARB! The man must be talking to Barbara Gordon. Batgirl! He was saved! Without even thinking about it, Wally was immediately on the ground with his arms around the stranger. He was REAL! Another human! Kid Flash grabbed the stranger's head and kissed him. His lips confirmed what his arms were telling his brain. The man was definitely real. He let the man out of his full-body hold and instead grasped his arm.

"B-b-barrrbarra?" he rasped out at the watch. It was the first time he'd spoken in months. What need was there to talk when there was no one to listen?

"Wally? Wally, is that you?" came the tinny sound that was Barb's excited voice.

"Y-you bet-t-cha," Wally replied.

"Oh thank God. It's so good to hear your voice!" Wally could hear the relief in her tone.

"L-like-w-wise," he ground out.

"I'll see you soon, okay?" Barb queried. There was a bleep and Wally knew the connection was severed.

Wally looked up to the man he had been hugging. He was looking toward the ground and blushing. It was then that Wally remembered his nudity. He hadn't worn his uniform in ages. The animals certainly didn't care if he was clad or not and there were already many holes and tears in the fabric. He shrugged and ignored his state of undress.

"Er, hi," began the stranger. "I'm Eddie and Barb sent me here to take back to our dimension. The Double-D is programmed and ready to go whenever you are..." Eddie trailed off as he tried to keep his eyes from straying downward.

"O-okay, jus-st h-hold that th-thought," Wally rasped out as he sprinted to his cabin. He pulled his old uniform down from the branch it lay on and donned it in record time. Taking one last look at the cabin he'd built himself and lived in for more than a year, Wally grabbed the sign he'd hand carved and sped back to the other man. Souvenir.

Wally shyly clutched the sign to himself and looked hopefully at Eddie. The man extracted a strange looking object that had been strapped to his back. It looked something like a cross between a jackhammer and an icing bag. He held it out in front of him and twisted the handle. A dark purple light spewed forth and formed an elliptical portal to what appeared to be a house.

"After you," said Eddie as he gestured to the portal.

Wally didn't need telling twice. He was through in a heartbeat. Eddie quickly followed and Wally saw a couch for the first time in ages. Just as he was about to spring upon it, a hand fell on his shoulder, startling him.

"I know you haven't been afforded such luxuries for some time, Mr West but I'd appreciate it if you would bathe before lounging on my couch." Eddie grinned a little sheepishly at the man who offered a similar look in return.

Twenty minutes later, Wally felt like a new man. Hot fucking water! It was amazing and to feel clean after being dirty for so long was pure bliss. When he emerged from the shower, he discovered some casual clothes laid out on the counter for him and he donned them eagerly. What used to be boring exercises before his dimensional shift became nostalgic and fun. Like brushing his teeth (man he'd really need to see a dentist after a year of not brushing properly) using mouthwash, brushing his exceedingly long hair, shaving and all other sorts of things he used to do.

Just as he sank heavily into the couch with a sigh of content there was an eager knocking at the front door. Eddie was there almost as fast as he could have been. He stepped aside and a copper-haired woman wheeled herself into the room.

"Wally!" she squealed with delight.

"B-barb?" Wally asked questioningly. "Is th-that real-ly y-you?" He was on her in a flash and plonked himself in her lap with one leg over each side of the wheelchair. His arms were instantly around her and he hugged her for all he was worth.

"Yes it certainly is, KF," answered Barb and she felt the grip around her tighten.

They hugged for what felt like ages before Wally leapt up from Barb's lap. "S-s-sorry," he stammered embarrassedly. "I m-must be h-h-heavy."

Barb snorted. "You look way too thin to be heavy and I couldn't feel it anyway."

Sadness crossed Wally's face. "W-what ha-hap-p-pened?" he asked bluntly.

"Joker."

"Asshole."

"Yeah. I'm still getting used to it," said Barb.

Eddie and Barb questioned Wally about his experiences and eventually his speaking improved as he started using his voice again. It felt weird to be talking and he went hoarse for a while but his accelerated healing made it a mere passing inconvenience. When he was finished, he asked Barb about what had changed since he had left the dimension.

Barb looked pityingly at Wally. "First, I should break it to you that your girlfriend moved on in your absence."

Wally's face fell but he wasn't surprised. Right from the start of their relationship which was pretty much just hate until they ended up together long-term. He had always felt she was way out of his league. She's beautiful, smart, kind, a damn good shot and all in all, way too good for a stupid speedster like him. What really surprised him was that she put up with him for as long as she did. He knew the woman would grieve and live her life since he was marooned but receiving confirmation was still difficult to hear.

"Is she happy?" Wally eventually asked.

Barb placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Yes but she never really recovered from your absence. She's still going by the name of Tigress and there are way more similarities between her and her sister now. Being an aunt suits her though. You're also the reason she and Garth began. Both lost their significant other. She rarely gets to see her boyfriend but they somehow make it work."

Frowning, Wally asked, "Who is Garth? The name sounds familiar."

"He's Aqualad's best friend and goes by the name Tempest," said Barb.

"Wait, wait, wait. She dating an Atlantean? How does that even work?" asked Wally in shock.

"It's not like they have fish tails or anything..." began Barb before she was interrupted by another female voice.

"And I gave her a choker necklace with an amulet that allows her to breathe underwater, made by myself of course," finished Zatanna as she tipped her top hat and winked. A mere moment later, she found herself with an armful of Wally.

"Zee!" was all Wally could say. At the end of the hug, he noticed she was not alone. How exactly he missed the tall Diana standing next to the slighter magician was a complete mystery to him but he quickly grabbed the princess too. Although he probably hadn't said more than a couple of whole sentences in her presence before, she permitted the embrace which he thought was rather sporting of the woman raised to be wary of the race of men. He took a brief moment to thank whoever the hell was up there that she wasn't the one to rescue him while he was butt naked.

He would NEVER have lived that down.


	4. Sorceress I

**Oh, Just a Couple of Alien Invasions...**

_Chapter Four - Sorceress_

Zatanna looked up from the scattered tomes on her desk at the ringing of her phone. She smiled at the picture of Barbara on the display and accepted the call. "Hey Barb, how are you?"

Barb's voice sounded tight and Zatanna instantly felt ill at ease. "I have a situation that I'm hoping you'll be able to help me out with, Zee."

"Sure," came Zatanna's immediate reply.

"It's of a confidential nature..." started Barb.

"Hold on," Zee said before intoning a spell. "Alright, now no one will be able to intercept or trace our call."

"Thanks," breathed Barb in relief.

"Is this about the regeneration spell?" asked Zee. "You know that if I do heal your back, your injury will impact you in some other way, most likely mentally. I didn't think you'd be up for that, Barb."

"WHAT? NO!" sputtered Barb in indignation. "Sorry, no, er, this call is about the Reach."

"Are they back? Why hasn't the League called us in yet? I'll..." Zatanna said as she shot to her feet.

"Wait up, Zee," interrupted Barb. "They're not here but a friend of mine and I discovered that they have stolen dimensional portal tech. They've jumped to a parallel Earth. We feel we need to stop them and we were hoping you might consider joining our elite little team."

Zee paused for a moment to absorb the information. Even on a parallel Earth, the Reach would still be a menace. She looked down at the books in front of her. Her research into freeing her father from his predicament as Dr Fate was still fruitless and this other world needed her help.

"Yeah, I'll sign up. I should warn you however that if this other Earth contains no magic, I'll be unable to perform spells and will be useless." Zee's fingers fiddled with a random page. The thought of a world with no magic terrified her.

"I understand," noted Barb. "Now, this team is even more confidential than the other Team. Batman doesn't even know."

Zatanna snorted with amusement. "Really? That's fantastic!"

"Can you come up with some sort of mystical reason that you might need to step out of League business every now and then?" asked Barb.

"Sure, I'll swing by the Watchtower and speak to the founders about it," said Zatanna as she unconsciously smoothed down her suit.

"Actually, while you're there, can you bring someone back with you?" asked Barbara. "I think it will be easier if I go through the details with everyone here at the same time. That way I won't have to repeat myself and everybody will have the same facts."

"No problems, Barb. Who am I picking up?" agreed Zee.

"I'd rather not say," decided Barb. "That way when they ask you for a lift, your surprise will be genuine. A necessary precaution to fool Batman."

Zatanna warily agreed and memorised the address Barb gave her before hanging up. She wondered who else in the League would be helping them. Despite her better judgement, the secrecy of this new team was exciting and she found herself curious as to what plans were in the works. She smoothed down her hair and extracted her wand.

The Watchtower materialised in front of her and a few of the Leaguers called out a greeting which the magician returned with a glistening smile. She made her way to the monitor station where at least one founding member could usually be found at all times. If there wasn't one there, the member on duty would hopefully be able to point her in the right direction.

When Zatanna reached her destination, Rocket sent her to a meeting room with a, "Good luck to you, girl. They've been arguing in there for almost an hour now." Zee rolled her eyes causing Rocket to giggle as she waved goodbye and approached the room in question. She knocked firmly on the door and waited patiently. Whoever was in there would have heard the sound but they would let her in on their terms. She rolled her eyes again.

The sorceress doubted many of the others realised that the regular League members were basically just lackeys. They did what they were told and were commended or if they went against orders they were chastised. If the League were evil, they would be classified as minions. Their opinions counted but in the end, the results were not left in their hands unless otherwise stated.

The door was opened by Flash who was almost immediately back in his chair. Zee walked in and could feel the tension. Everyone was seated except Wonder Woman, who stood with her hands on her hips and a furious expression on her face. She took in the other faces around the room. There was Aquaman, Batman, Martian Manhunter, Hawkwoman, Superman, Captain Marvel, Flash and two of the Green Lanterns - Hal and John.

Superman cleared his throat and drew the woman's attention. "Hello Zatanna. What can we do for you?" He gave her a small genuine smile and despite the fact she was about to lie to the faces of the founders of the Justice League plus some extras, she felt her nerves calming.

The magician took in a breath and addressed the room. "I've been in contact with a friend of mine. He's informed me of another realm out of phase with this one which houses a vast collection of works that could help me in my research." She didn't elaborate that she meant with trying to disconnect her father from that damn bucket of a helmet, the others already knew she'd been fruitlessly searching for a magical solution since he took it in her stead all that time ago.

"So why are you telling us about it?" asked Flash as he garnered everyone's attention. "What? It's not like it will stop her from fulfilling her duties." He crossed his arms and pouted in the wake of a patent Batman glare.

"She said it was in a different realm. That could include all sorts of factors." The Dark Knight's voice grated throughout the room. His eyes flicked back to Zatanna and looked at her suspiciously. "Who is this source?"

"An old friend of my father," she brushed off with a small wave. "The reason I've brought this to you is that he told me time moves differently there. He said he once journeyed to the library and stayed for a year, only to return three minutes later in regular time. That said, he also stopped by to drop off a book and found out a whole month and a half had passed in those few hours. I wanted you to know so that if for some reason I've become unreachable, it's because I'm at the library."

There was a silence as the others in the room absorbed her words.

"I assume that as time moves differently, it would be impossible for a signal to reach you?" asked J'onn somewhat rhetorically. Zatanna nodded anyway.

"I don't think this is a good idea..." started Hal who trailed off at the furious look on Zatanna's face.

"I wasn't asking for permission. This is about my father! I've been looking for a way to save him for over a year now. I'll be going with or without your blessing." Zatanna's voice was as icy as one of Fries' schemes.

There was an uncomfortable silence throughout the room and Hal blushed a little.

"Of course, we wish you well," noted Superman earnestly.

Zatanna flashed him one of her dashing grins. "I have no intention of running off too often but when I do leave, like I'm about to now, I will make sure I notify the League. Of course I'll keep my eyes open for anything in the library that could be of use to us. You never know what may be in a new realm until you find out for yourself."

"Thanks for keeping us posted," noted John gruffly.

Zee nodded to him and turned to the door.

"Zatanna," called out Wonder Woman.

"Yes?" inquired Zee as she turned back to face the heroes.

"My Sisters are facing a quest of the Gods and have asked for my assistance. I was about to leave and fly there but..." Wonder Woman trailed off.

Zatanna tried to mask her surprise and probably failed. "Teleportation's faster?" she quirked an eyebrow before tilting her head.

"Indeed," Wonder Woman smiled. "I only ask because you are not a man and my Sisters will have no qualms with my accepting your aid. Of course that is if you allow it."

"That's fine," smiled Zee brightly. She waved the woman over and both of them disappeared from the Watchtower.

They reappeared in middle of the Sahara desert.

Wonder Woman's eyes widened. She looked at the slighter woman. "What are we doing here?" she asked.

Zatanna raised her perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "I just wanted to double check that I had the right passenger in a place where we can't be overheard."

Nodding in understanding and slight relief, Wonder Woman smiled. "I was informed by a certain woman that someone would visit the Watchtower and let the League know that they would only be around intermittently. She requested that I 'hitch a ride' with that person, since they knew where they were going. I had no idea she meant you, Zatanna."

"That's alright," shrugged Zatanna. She'd been trying to get the woman to call her just Zee for a while now but it never seemed to stick. "I had no idea it would be you either, Diana. All I was told was that someone would ask for a lift and I was to grant it." She tilted her head as she regarded the woman. "You're not really on a quest with your Sisters, are you?"

Diana laughed. "It sounds like I'll be on a quest, just not with my Sisters. You're not going to a library then?"

"Not really, no," smirked Zatanna. Her smirk dropped to a pensive look. "I will be keeping an eye out for anything that may help my father, though."

"Good," said Diana. "As useful as Dr Fate can be, I prefer your father." She placed a strong hand on Zee's arm.

Zatanna felt her emotions swell at the simple affirmation but she didn't allow it to show. "Thank you. Alright, now that I'm certain I have the right companion, are you ready to depart?"

"Absolutely," said Wonder Woman. They smiled at each other briefly as the teleported into the lounge of a suburban home in Gotham.

Zee was about to announce their presence but a familiar male voice caught her off guard. "Wait, wait, wait. She's dating an Atlantean? How does that even work?" Wally? Wally West was alive? That's wonderful!

"It's not like they have fish tails or anything..." began Barb, sounding incredibly vexed.

Zatanna decided to intervene. "And I gave her a choker necklace with an amulet that allows her to breathe underwater, made by myself of course." She couldn't help using her signature move of winking with a tip of her hat. Without warning, Wally was hugging her for all he was worth.

"Zee!" he shouted happily.

Zatanna was noticeably surprised when he also got away with a hug from Diana.

"Where were you and how did you get back?" asked Zee with interest.

Wally disengaged from Diana and zipped over to one of the arm chairs. "I phased out of this dimension and into another. There were no humans. None. If it weren't for Eddie and Barb, I'd still be there. See!" he chirped as he sped to his plaque that he'd been showing off to Barb before and thrust it into Zee's hands.

Zatanna couldn't help it. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes. "You poor thing," she said with sincere regret before enveloping him in another, stronger hug. His arms tightened too and she had a strong suspicion that he was crying too. She eventually started to pull back and gently brushed the tears from his cheeks. "Don't worry. We're here now. We won't leave you." Her soft expression hardened. "So, I know she's told you about Tigress moving on but has she told you about the Kid Flash predicament?" The man sent her a confused look and the woman rolled her eyes at Barb. "Since your disappearance, Impulse stepped up to be the new Kid Flash."

"Oh," said Wally. He looked as if a mat had been yanked out from under his feet.

An unfamiliar man strolled into the room and was introduced as Eddie by Barb. He seemed nice enough but before any kind of involved conversation could be had, a beeping could be heard from another room (probably the kitchen, Zee noted to herself) and he quickly hurried out.

Barbara wheeled herself over to the speedster and placed a hand on his hip since she could no longer reach his shoulder. "Don't fret too much, Wally. Eddie and I were talking while we were waiting for these guys to assemble. None of us can go to this new Earth as we are. There's a strong chance it will contain alter egos of ourselves in some way. I remember Batman once telling me about a world he'd visited where his mirror was called Owlman and was evil while the Red Hood was a force of justice. He turned out to be the Joker."

"No way!" said Wally in amazement. "You mean, somewhere out there, there's a Joker that is good? That's crazy!"

"Yes. The last thing we'd want on this mission is to be mistaken for someone else. It could turn out to be a full scale disaster. Anyway. My original point is that everyone will need a new alias, so even if you were still Kid Flash, well, you wouldn't be."

"So what am I going to be then? Zipline? Crash Course? Baron von Speedy?" suggested Wally, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Barb looked to the kitchen. "Hey Eddie?" she called.

"Yeah?" came an immediate response.

"Mind if I tell them their new names?" asked Barb.

"Knock yourself out, Barb," came the muffled reply. It sounded like the man was bending over, possibly grabbing something out of a fridge or oven.

Barbara rolled her eyes. "We (being Eddie and I) thought it might be easier for everyone if we kept it simple. We went with fantasy classes. I'm Oracle and Eddie in there, he's Scholar."

"Pfft. Who cares about him? What about ME?" wheedled Wally. He pouted at Barb who just rolled her eyes.

"Zatanna is Sorceress. We thought it was fitting. Same with you, Diana. You're Amazon," continued Barb mercilessly.

"BARBARA! TELL MEEEEEEEEEE!" Wally whined as he vibrated in his seat.

Sending the man-child a smirk, Barb finally relented. "Scout."

"Okay!" he bubbled. "I can be Scout. I'll scout ahead whenever you need it. I'll..."

"Yes, yes, yes," said Barb. "Calm down, Wally. Which leaves our last mem..."

Just as she was about to finish up, there was a gentle knocking at the door.

"Speak of the devil," she muttered before yelling, "Come in! This is Acrobat."

Zatanna saw Dick's face as he edged into the room. It looked suspicious until it was drawn to a very loud "DICK!" from his old best friend. The sheer speed and width of his sudden smile was dazzling and the pair embraced. Reunited after so long.


	5. Acrobat I

**Oh, Just a Couple of Alien Invasions...**

_Chapter Five - Acrobat_

Dick Grayson opened the door with trepidation. Barbara had sent him a message that her and a friend had found his best friend Wally in another dimension and brought him back. He didn't want to get his hopes up so he warily peered into the room. "DICK!" yelled a voice which sounded exactly like his old friend used to. When his eyes flicked to the stocky figure, they misted with happiness as he ran to his friend.

"WALLY!" yelled Dick as he picked the man up and swung him around the lounge. It was lucky that Zatanna and Diana had both taken a seat on the couch and Eddie was still in the kitchen or they would have all been bowled over by the enthusiastic embrace.

As Dick continued to hug Wally, he sent an apologetic look over his shoulder at Barb. "I'm so sorry I doubted you Barbara. I should have known better."

The woman in question arched an eyebrow. "Yes, you should have," she said with a glower.

"But how did you rescue him now that you're...?" began Dick before Barb cut him off angrily.

"If you even think about saying something like 'disabled,' 'a liability,' or my personal favourite 'in a fucking wheelchair,' I'll castrate you where you stand. Remember your balls are now at the right height for me to punch without straining myself." Barbara folded her arms and glared.

Dick had faced down many criminals in his time and was raised by the Batman himself but let's face it. An angry Batgirl was just plain scary. "Um, well, how did you?" Barb glanced at the Double-D which was resting on the coffee table and realisation dawned on Dick before the horrified look crossed his face again. "Did you threaten to castrate Bruce too to get him to lend it to you?"

"I didn't get it myself and I didn't save Wally," summarised Barb.

"Well, who did?" inquired Dick as he flicked his black hair out of his eyes. Something wasn't adding up.

Wally said, "Eddie did."

Looking around in confusion, Dick asked, "Who's Eddie?"

Dick surveyed the room as if the mysterious Eddie was hiding somewhere in it. It was a tastefully decorated lounge and it held the trappings of a masculine touch. "Is this his house?"

"Yes," answered Barb in a tense voice. "Now, there's something you need to know about him..."

"There he is," interrupted Wally as Eddie walked back into the room with a platter of pastries as if on cue.

Dick took one look at the man, squealed (which he would later deny despite the numerous witnesses) and leapt at the man with a loudly shouted, "YOU!" He knocked him over, causing the tray to soar through the air and pelt the ladies on the couch with pies and quiches. Luckily Diana caught the stray platter just before it could connect with Zatanna's head and Wally zipped over and stuffed as many of the morsels into his mouth at once as he could. The rest were quickly added to the platter still held in Diana's hand.

Glaring at Dick who was still pinning him down, Eddie tried to shove him off with no success.

"What the hell are you doing here!" yelled Dick as Barb pinched the bridge of her nose. She could feel a headache coming on.

Eddie's glare became enraged. "What the hell am I doing here? This is MY house. What the hell are you doing, knocking me over?" he thundered.

Now that all the food had been consumed, Wally dashed over and pulled his friend off their host. "What are you doing, Dick? He saved me from no man's land."

"But, but, but," sputtered Dick in a fit of rage. "But he's a criminal!"

"You are?" asked Diana and Wally together. Zatanna would have said the same thing if she hadn't managed to save a pastry for herself and was almost choking on that instead. Barb let out a groan from her seat. This was going to hell faster than Two-Face could flip his damn coin.

"I'm reformed," Eddie sullenly muttered.

"Reformed my ass!" yelled Dick as Wally restrained him from launching himself back at the man.

"It's true," corroborated Barbara. "We've been in contact since the accident and he's left his life of crime behind him. Partly by choice and partly as a request from me."

Dick and Barbara began a heated discussion as Wally leant around his friend and asked, "So what did you do? Rob a bank? Streak? Jaywalked?"

Eddie snorted in amusement. "Oh nothing that dramatic I assure you."

Breaking from his argument with Barbara, Dick eyed the criminal. "You? Not dramatic? Seriously? The only flashier villain than you out there is Crazy Quilt and that old fruitcake is as messed up as his name!" Dick roared.

"So you're Poison Ivy?" mock guessed Wally, more to annoy his friend than anything. It was working, Dick's anger was spiking. "Wait, no. Grundy then? Hold on, you're definitely a midget in disguise! Lock it in, Alex - What is the Penguin?"

"Dammit KF, he's the Riddler," yelled Dick.

Zatanna and Diana were eyeing the former criminal warily as Dick once again tried to attack him, with Wally being the only thing holding him back. Eddie folded his arms and attempted to seem disinterested as Barbara rolled in the centre of the room.

"ALRIGHT," Barb yelled. Apparently she'd had enough. She looked at Dick. "Sit down for fuck's sake and stop acting like a Robin. I thought you had grown up." Her eyes turned to Eddie. "You can sit next to him. You're supposed to be an adult. Act like it. And you..." she turned to look at Wally who flinched back from her gaze. It softened immediately. "You can let go of your friend now."

Quick as lightning, Wally released Dick who sullenly sat next to the man that had on several occasions tried to kill him.

Barbara went on to explain to the gathering (mostly for Dick's benefit) how she had first started conversing with the Riddler and how that turned into a genuine friendship. She made a point of hammering home that it had been Eddie's idea to search for Wally in another dimension and if it weren't for him, the speedster would still be there. After that, she elucidated about the Reach stealing the portal tech from Star Labs and the concept of the new team and what she wanted them to achieve.

"You see," Barb noted, "this is an extremely extensive long-term project. You all know how long it took us to get the Reach out of our own hair and we had the whole bloody Justice League on our side. Now this poor, defenceless planet has no idea what's in store for it and I want to help." She turned to look at Wally. "All the others have agreed to aid me but I neglected to ask. Do you want to help us?"

Wally shrugged. "Like that's a hard choice. Artemis is not mine... er, well she's no longer an option and I'm not Kid Flash anymore. I want to help and Eddie saved my skin. I'm in. Ha, dude, I totally rhymed."

"How wonderful for you," muttered Dick sarcastically to himself.

Unfortunately this caught Barb's attention. "Dick. Eddie's on my team and I'll choose him over you any day. If you can't deal with him, you're out."

Dick's mouth soundlessly opened and closed several times before he eventually spat out, "What do you mean you'll pick him over me? We've worked together for years and he's a criminal. I should be the one going with you."

Barb glared at him. "He's also been in contact with me nearly every day for half a year. How many times have you talked to me since the accident?"

There was a very pregnant pause. "But, but he's a felon," Dick whinged.

"So make your choice, Dick. Can you be on a team with him or not? If not, there's the door," she gestured to the door in question. "His door," she noted with a small bit of amusement. "We're still in his home, remember."

Dick considered his options. Now that he knew about the Reach invasion, even though it wasn't on his planet as such, he couldn't just turn a blind eye - Riddler or no Riddler. He sighed as he resigned himself to his fate. "Fine," he said. He held out his hand to the man next to him and they awkwardly shook hands. It was definitely something he never thought he'd do. It felt more like a dream than reality. Wally back again, Barb in a wheelchair, working with the Riddler.

Heaving a deep sigh, Barbara looked Eddie's way. "Now that that's settled and I've been talking for ages, can you please get me something alcoholic, Eddie?"

Eddie smiled at his friend and ignored Dick who seemed appalled both at the Riddler smiling and Batgirl wanting a drink at lunchtime. He went to his fridge and found a bottle of wine he had in the back. He poured a generous helping for Barb and quite a big one for himself. Dick and Diana declined but Wally and Zatanna were all for it. Wally was just excited to have something that wasn't water for a change since his high metabolism didn't allow him to feel the effects of alcohol.

After the drinks and another round of appetisers were (somewhat more evenly) distributed, the group started to discuss the upcoming trials they were likely to face. Zee was still very concerned that this new dimension might not contain magic and that she could be pretty much useless to the team. Dick tried to claim the new realm would be too challenging for someone in a wheelchair but one look from Barb caused him to shrink back and Wally reached over Eddie to smack him in the head.

"Dick?" said Barbara. "Can you please hand me that pastry?"

Dick hastened to do so but as he held the morsel in front of the wheelchair-bound woman, she yanked his hand up, pulling it behind his back while turning him to face the others and wrapped her other arm around his neck. "I could snap this if I felt like it. I'm in a damn chair, Dick, not helpless and don't you ever forget it." She let the man go and he started heaving rapid breaths when his windpipe was released from its crushing chokehold.

After a brief coughing fit, Dick agreed. He quickly sat back where he was with a sigh, sagging into the space. When he realised he was practically leaning all over Eddie, he freaked out and almost fell off the couch. He sheepishly realised he was making a complete ass of himself in front of his new team. This was certainly turning out to be a disaster, heavy on the dis.

The newly formed team spent about half an hour chatting and getting to know each other a little better. Wally was just pleased to be with other humans again and Eddie was feeling quite overwhelmed at how accepting the ladies and Wally were with him after Dick's obvious disapproval.

"So, perhaps we should adjourn downstairs?" suggested Eddie to Barb. She agreed.

Eddie led the team to a hidden door through the bathtub which had unfolded and descended into a ramp. He then proceeded to take the team on a guided tour of the facility.

Dick couldn't help but admit to himself that it was one impressive setup. Although nowhere near as wide as the Batcave since it was in the middle of suburbia, it still contained many sub-levels joined together via an elevator.

B1 was made up of a large weapons locker, a circular table for meetings and a separate room which would house a permanent version of the Double-D. Apparently the genius had reverse engineered Batman's original unit. He sure was a clever bastard. You know, for a criminal.

B2 was mostly devoted to one of the largest computer systems Dick had ever seen. It almost surpassed the Watchtower's set-up but was nowhere near the Batcomputer's level. He was trying not to be impressed but he couldn't help it. It was a damn fine piece of work. The rest of the space was used for storage.

The team then went down the lowest they could go - B5. It was a large training and simulation facility. Composed mostly of holographic constructs in a wide, cylindrical room which is why Eddie called it the Colosseum. He assured them that there were safety protocols but Dick wouldn't trust him as far as he could throw him. Reformed his ass.

B4 was a den. There was a huge television with several state of the art gaming systems. A pool table, dart board, foosball table, a couple of old school pinball machines and even a pool, spa and sauna at the other end. Dick was once again impressed and he hoped Ed... er the Riddler wouldn't make a habit of it.

The final stop was B3 which contained the living quarters. There was a hallway of doors with a square of smoky glass at the centre of each. The first one on the left had a green (what else) design of a stylised eye on it. Dick noticed this one was lower than all the other panes of glass.

"This room is mine. It's closest to the elevator for obvious reasons," said Barb. She placed her hand on the image and almost immediately, a thin line quickly swiped down the glass. When it reached the bottom, a cheerful beep sounded and the lock disengaged. It opened to reveal a moderate sized cabin which was adorned with many handrails and it looked like Eddie had taken a lot of care to ensure the room was wheelchair friendly; another grudging point in his favour.

"The glass is one way from the inside so you will be able to see anyone lurking around the outside and they won't be able to see in," informed Eddie. He shooed Barb into her room to rest, with a look saying he'd take it from here. She flashed him a thankful smile before closing and locking the door behind her.

"Now before you can choose a room, you'll need one of these." He held up a stash of watches matching the one he had already donned. "Let's see who we have first." He chose one at random and flipped it over. "Sorceress," he said as Zatanna stepped forward. He gestured for her hand and gently placed her right thumb on the face of her watch. The machine beeped a couple of times before a blue bar scanned the digit. A green pentagram appeared on the screen when she removed her thumb.

"As soon as you're wearing your watch, just choose a room and place your right hand on the panel. It will be yours for the duration of this mission," instructed Eddie as he was scanning Wally's DNA into his watch. Diana was third, leaving Dick for last. He didn't wait for Eddie to take his hand, he knew what to do. Eddie made no comment.

The watch (his watch, he supposed) bleeped and without looking Dick slipped it onto his wrist. Both Eddie and he started walking down the corridor until Eddie stopped at a door with an image of three stacked books. Without a word, he pressed his hand to the picture and entered it.

Dick was about to head further down the corridor but he felt he should stay somewhere near the criminal as a precaution. In the end, he selected the one directly across from the criminal. He placed his palm on the glass and a green figure balancing on his hands appeared. He was admitted and collapsed onto his new bed. Despite his original reluctance to join a team, especially with the Riddler's presence, it looked like this may turn out to be some kind of spectacular adventure.


	6. Amazon I

**Oh, Just a Couple of Alien Invasions...**

_Chapter Six - Amazon_

Diana smiled as she looked around her room. Despite its small size, it was cleverly designed to capitalise on the lack of space. The furniture was mostly irregular in shape which helped put the princess at ease. The rigid squares and rectangles of the world of Man often disconcerted her. She was used to the columns, circles and curves of Themyscira. There were a few vases around the room filled with fresh flowers. The aroma of lilac and lily was most pleasant indeed.

There was a closet near the back corner of the room and Diana peeked inside. On the left, there were many outfits of varying sizes. The centre was left bare, presumably for each occupant to fill at their leisure with clothes of their own choosing but the right contained simple black leather outfits of varying cuts and styles. It was clear that she would have to create a different look for this new team.

What concerned the princess the most about this was that using her bracelets and lasso would be virtually impossible. They were far too recognisable. Sure, she had been well trained in many other forms of combat over the years but it would still be difficult to curb her instincts into not deflecting bullets with her wrists or grabbing the convenient length of rope from her side.

Diana considered the articles of clothing in front of her carefully. It would probably be prudent to adopt a different fashion style too, so she discarded the extremely short pants and busty tops and selected from the remaining garments. In the end she settled on low-slung pants which went all the way to her ankles, covering her still knee-length boots. When it came to her top, she selected something that not even Batman would suspect she'd ever wear. It was a tight shirt which left her right shoulder bare but the left side had a full-length sleeve. The only thing that wasn't black was a plain silver belt. She knew it would take a little time to adapt to the strangeness of the new apparel but hoped it would remind her that for the time being, she was no longer Wonder Woman.

The princess donned the clothes and critically examined herself in the mirror beside the closet. The new outfit looked strange, yet still good. It was also exciting to be out of her usual spangled ensemble. What she did notice in her self-assessment was that anyone would be able to recognise her unclad face. As much as it went against her beliefs to hide who she was, it was a necessary evil. Apparently, Eddie decided to not only match the black leather idea, but the masks as well. On a small table in the closet sat several domino masks of varying sizes. She decided it would look rather striking and cohesive if everyone was wearing them.

There were two small bottles on the table behind the masks and Diana carefully studied them. One appeared to be an adhesive and the other, a solvent. Very clever. Then no one would be able to unmask them and there would be zero percent chance of an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction. She carefully dabbed some of the adhesive to the corners of the mask that fit her the best and tried it on.

Diana looked at the stranger in her mirror and was satisfied. If the Amazon couldn't even recognise herself, how could anyone else? It still struck her as odd, though. As she usually did in times of change and discomfort, she decided to take a moment to pray to the gods. She dimmed the lights and seated herself upon her new couch. Halfway through her prayers, she felt a warm breeze upon her face.

"Greetings Diana," said a strong female voice.

The princess's eyes snapped open and beheld the woman in front of her. She looked no older than twenty-five and was dressed in a simple Greek dress. "Hera!" she gasped as she scrambled to kneel on the floor in front of the deity.

Rich laughter floated around the room and Hera placed a placating hand on Diana's shoulder. "You need not trouble yourself, warrior," she said but her words went unheeded.

"What can I, a lowly daughter of Hippolyta, do for the Goddess of Family and the wife of Zeus?" asked Diana, still bowed low on the floor.

"Rise child and retake your seat," commanded the goddess. When Diana was sitting back on the couch, Hera gracefully perched on a nearby chair. "Interesting times are upon us, Diana. The fate of two worlds hang in the balance of this mission, which is why I persuaded Zeus to take an active interest."

Diana's eyebrows raised. "You did?"

Hera smiled at the daughter of Hippolyta. "Of course. I consulted the Oracle who foretold a grim prophecy." She snapped her fingers and an eerie voice floated throughout the room.

"_Two worlds are at stake and protection they need  
>Twelve heroes will break up the onslaughts of greed<br>With six from each land the whole workload is shared  
>Alone they must stand with their weaknesses bared<em>

"_But hope has its use since each hero's thrice blessed  
>They're handpicked by Zeus as the father knows best<br>They need not be scared when they enter the rift  
>Their hearth will be cared for by Hestia's gift<em>

"_The final enhancement each one will receive  
>Is granted by choice individually<br>The other twelve deities pass on their grace  
>Their symbols then written right under each face<em>

"_The battles and violence the heroes must mend  
>Or Hekatombaion's moon will beget the end<br>If either or both threats remain still by then  
>It's my solemn oath that it's Armageddon"<em>

The goddess continued as if she hadn't just replayed a damning prophecy of destruction. "As soon as I realised the dire position this foretelling placed everyone in and that Zeus was mentioned by name, I consulted him and the other gods immediately. There was much debate as we prefer not to meddle too much in the affairs of mortals but this was deemed a special case."

"Thank you for your intervention, mighty Hera," intoned Diana.

The goddess just nodded. "The moment Zeus named you as one of the six from your world, I knew you would be the one to receive my blessing. Rise, daughter of Hippolyta."

Diana stood before the goddess who had also risen to her feet. She watched as the woman placed a palm on her chest. Immediately, she felt a warmth flow through her body.

Hera removed her hand and let it drop by her side. "The majority of the gods agreed to help immediately while some others will no doubt drag their heels. Do not worry, child, I will personally ensure that each bestows their prophesised blessing. I will not let any of them, even Hades himself, place our world and the other in jeopardy."

Bowing once more, Diana thanked the deity for her benediction and for taking the time to visit her on the mortal plane.

"Goodbye, Diana. Save the worlds," stated Hera before she vanished on the spot in a flash of white light.

Diana took a few quick breaths, calming her heart. Being in the presence of a god was always an inspiring and somewhat terrifying experience. Now that she knew exactly how dire the situation had become, she decided to rally the others to share the grim news with them.

Next to her door was a LCD panel with many buttons on it. Six were a green colour and contained the codename of each member of the team, even her own. The others were grey and had only a question mark within since the rooms connected to them were still empty. Underneath the controls was a long one with **Call All** marked on it. She pressed it and there was a small, subtle bleep. "Teammates, this is Diana. I have urgent news about our quest. Assemble in the Meeting Room as soon as you can."

Without waiting for the others, Diana moved purposefully to the elevator and travelled to the first level. She was surprised (although she really shouldn't have been) to find Wally already sitting in one of the chairs. He was also dressed in his new black leather ensemble. His shirt had small sleeves that barely covered his biceps and shorts that almost reached his knees. If it weren't for his mask, she might have mistaken him for one of those men that would ride the waves like Poseidon can. It was a far cry from his yellow and red bodysuit and looked extremely good.

"Hey Amazon!" he chirped. "I figured if we're pressed up like a BDSM club, I should start using our call signs or I'll forget them."

Diana frowned. "What does BDSM stand for?"

Wally's mouth fell open and he blushed a hideous tomato red. "Erm, never mind." He was saved from more questioning by the arrival of Zee and Dick.

The four chatted about random things until Barb and Eddie entered the room. Each team member was now attired in their new outfit. As a whole, they looked damn impressive. The others took a seat with the obvious exception of Barbara who wheeled herself to the empty space at the table meant just for her.

Diana moved to stand out the front of them but before she could speak, Eddie indignantly squeaked, "What the hell have you done to your shirt?"

Feeling her mouth fall open at the somewhat bizarre question, Diana looked down and noticed what the man was upset about. What had originally been just black was now black and purple. An image of a stylised peacock was now formed in the centre of her top. "I have done nothing, it is the work of Hera."

"Why would she..." started Eddie but Diana cut him off.

"If you would listen, I shall explain."

Eddie blushed a little and valiantly tried to ignore Dick's sniggers. "Sorry, please continue."

Diana nodded. "As you may have worked out, I was visited by Hera, Queen of the Gods." She held out a hand at the torrent of questions pouring out of the others. "She came to me with a dire prophesy about our mission." The Amazon then proceeded to restate the Oracle's words. "Before she left, Hera said I would be the recipient of her gift. Apparently, this image and symbol is proof of this."

"That makes sense," noted Eddie thoughtfully. "The prophesy said, _The other twelve deities pass on their grace. Their symbols will be written under each face._ Well, your chest is under your face. So am I to assume that each god will at some point gift us a symbol and possibly some sort of, er, blessing?"

Diana looked at the reformed criminal and smirked. "Yes, it would definitely appear so."

The Riddler gave her a confused look before a wide-eyed one took over. He looked down and discovered the light blue crest that was sitting on his chest. It was in the shape of an inkwell, quill and an unfurled scroll. "But how...?"

"It appears that you have been blessed by the great Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Battle," noted Diana.

Dick started guffawing. "Yeah, like he knows anything of battle. Kindergarteners could beat him in a fight!"

Eddie, Wally and Barb both glared at the acrobat who hastily reined in his laughter.

"But I wasn't visited by any goddesses of any kind and I know this symbol wasn't here bef... Oh! But that would mean..." He paled and slumped in his chair. He looked at Barb sheepishly. "I'm sorry but I've been cheating on you."

"Really?" questioned Barb with amusement.

"A month before we started our conversations, I had been communicating with a rather well-known hacker called The_Wiz_of_O. The Wiz turned out to be this nice blonde woman who ended up encouraging me to be smarter both academically and in life. She was also the one who suggested I reach out to someone on the right side of the law, a person that I knew was going through a hard time. I obviously chose you." Eddie tapped the table with his fingernails as his mind whirled.

"I've still kept in contact with her but not as much as I used to. She's the only one I've talked to since I retired to my room. She told me I had finally made the right choices in life and was looking forward to seeing my progress. I sneezed, she said 'bless you' with a wink and signed off. If Wiz stands for wisdom and O for Olympus, that means..." he broke off in horror. "That means I flirted with a goddess!"

Diana snorted with laughter. "And yet she still favoured you with her gift. You must have been extremely persuasive."

Eddie blanched again, "It was awful. I was terrible at it and it was her that patiently explained that I was so incredibly bad at it because my heart wasn't really in it. Thankfully she found it amusing instead of offensive."

"I'll say," agreed Diana. "If the goddess had been offended, you would be dead."

This caused Eddie to gulp and Dick to cackle again. "So if a goddess isn't good enough for the mighty Riddler, who is?"

Barb laughed heartily. "Other aloof individuals, I'm sure."

Eddie glared at the woman but the exchange was brought to an end by Wally. "So why don't I have a god symbol then?"

"Hera told me that she was still convincing the other gods about the seriousness of this matter. Now that Athena has chosen to bless someone, the others will probably soon follow," answered Diana with a decisive nod. "I also believe that since Hera, Zeus and Athena are directly involved, the other gods will most likely be the highest of them all."

Eddie stood and moved toward the large computer display on one of the walls and started tapping it in earnest but the group's attention was drawn to Barbara. "Diana, what was the moon that was referred to in the prophesy?"

"Hekatombaion's moon?" said Diana. "Hekatombaion (Heh-kah-tom-by-on) was the first month in the Athenian calendar and would start with the first new moon after the summer solstice."

"So, we have to save the worlds by the 27th of June, next year," noted Barbara as she tapped rapidly on her phone.

"That's plenty of time!" said Wally, earning a sigh from Dick.

"Not really, it took us almost a full year to get rid of them last time and that was with the whole Justice League plus the Team," Dick explained.

"Oh," muttered Wally a little sheepishly.

"Well," said Zatanna, speaking for the first time, "it's the 19th of August now so hopefully we can get this done quickly."

"I'm not so sure that will happen. The prophesy indicated that our world was also at risk and that could be from anything," warned Barb.

"Okay," said Eddie earning everyone's attention. Diana was immediately impressed with the wall display. In one area were twelve headshot outlines. The six empty ones were left black but the six that were theirs already contained a regular picture of them. Above their heads were their real names and new codenames. Underneath Diana and Eddie's headshots was a picture of their symbol and the name of the goddess attached to them.

On another display were a large listing of the many names of the Greek gods and goddesses. It was extremely thorough. There were only a few that Diana could think of that were missing. "Your thoughts, Diana?" Eddie asked.

The princess regarded the list and nodded thoughtfully to herself. "I believe only the most powerful of the gods will be involved. It would be prudent to highlight Poseidon, Hades, Aphrodite, Demeter, Dionysus, Hermes, Apollo, Hephaestus, Artemis..." Diana trailed off and pursed her lips. She did notice a tightening in Wally's too at the mention of his ex-girlfriend's codename, even though she was not the woman in question. "And Ares," she ground out with little enthusiasm, remembering a couple of run-ins that she'd had with the God of War. She internally shook herself and forced herself to continue. "Zeus and Hestia will not bless us twice so they can be removed. Of course, if we do need to alter the display later, we still can."

Eddie's fingers flicked over a keyboard and made the requested alterations. He flashed the assembled superheroes a smile. "Alright, since we're all dressed up, are we ready for a journey to a whole new world?"

"Aye," said Diana immediately. It was almost laughable how a mission she'd claimed to be for the Gods had turned out to be so. She was more than ready for this glorious quest to commence.


	7. Oracle II

**Oh, Just a Couple of Alien Invasions...**

_Chapter Seven - Oracle_

Barbara looked around. They had passed through the Double-D portal and into empty forestland. Apparently Eddie had already discerned how to work the experimental dimensional tech, despite his small amount of contact with it and sent them to the outskirts of New York City. As she was on high alert, she heard the small intake of breath from Wally beside her and it almost broke her heart. She turned to look at the man but was surprised at how he was smiling instead of quaking in fear.

"It's just like home," the speedster whispered in her ear when he noticed her questioning gaze. They were far enough away for the sounds of nature to dominate the hum of the nearby city. "Except with, like, you know. Friends. That makes it so much better."

Barb was about to reply but was interrupted by a small squeal. The pair turned to look at an excited Zatanna. She held up what looked like a wooden pretzel. "My magic works!" she said with delight and the handicapped woman couldn't help but feel relieved at the good news. The reshaped branch was then tossed carelessly aside.

"That's excellent news, Sorceress," noted Barbara while simultaneously reminding the others to use their codenames now that they were in the field in potentially hostile territory. "Scout, I need you quickly recon the city. Let us know of anything out of the ordinary and report back immediately."

"On it!" chirped the speedster with a genuine smile. There was a small breeze and the man was gone.

The new team, which Barb realised needed some sort of overall name (there was no way she was going to be on another team calling themselves 'The Team' if she could help it) barely had a chance to look around at each other before Wally was back clutching two large handfuls of money.

Eddie raised an eyebrow but Dick sputtered, "What the hell, man? You were asked to recon, not steal."

A frown formed on the man's face. "Actually, while I was surveying the city, I happened upon a gang of drug dealers. I took exception to the fact that they were damaging the city in their own way and liberated some of their ill-obtained wealth." Ignoring his friend's protests, he turned to look at Barb. "Here, check this out," he said as he handed over some of the notes.

Barb's eyes widened. At first glance, they appeared to be normal but the men (and in one case) woman pictured on them were not people she recognised. "Interesting," she said to herself before passing them around to her teammates for them to have a look at.

"That's not all. Most of the people look like normal but some don't. I saw a family of blue-skinned people, a little girl with four arms, a couple of teenagers with wings, real life goddam wings and even a woman who appeared to be made out of some sort of crystalline substance. The people around them appeared to be wary but on the whole it seemed like a regular kind of occurrence," summed up Wally in awe. It was truly something he had not expected to see.

"Were they superheroes or villains?" asked Eddie with interest.

"That's the thing," said Wally. "They were just regular citizens. They weren't wearing masks or anything, so we can't just walk around like we are without attracting attention but they were just eating, shopping and hanging around like regular people."

"Anything else you think we should know?" asked Barb. What a strange world indeed.

The speedster rapidly shook his head before stopping completely. "Oh! Actually, I found a hotel by the highway quite close to here which has an internet connection (at least that hadn't changed) that I thought would be useful. I mean, we do need somewhere to hole up in since we're not exactly dressed for incognito at the moment."

Barb nodded her approval. "Fantastic. I assume that also had something to do with your liberation of these funds, then?"

Sheepishly blushing, Wally said, "The thought had crossed my mind. It's not like our money would have been up to spec."

It took very little time for the team to make their way to the hotel. Zee muttered a spell which turned the team invisible and they stealthily entered the establishment. Barb hacked into their computer system as they moved to the elevator and located an empty yet large enough room to accommodate the six of them. "Seventh floor," she muttered as Eddie pressed the appropriate button and by the time the doors reopened, she'd added a fake family into the room on their system. When they were inside room 704, she sent Wally down the stairs to add the correct amount of money to the cash register so the hotel would not pick up their intrusion.

Dick had started flipping channels on the television and settled on a news one while Eddie began perusing the newspapers and magazines that the hotel had supplied. It was strange to watch her friend flick through a paper dressed all in black with the Double-D strapped to his back as if he'd done it every day of his life. She suppressed her smirk and turned her attention back to her computer which was now trawling through the internet.

A small snore came from Barb's left and she noticed Wally had decided to nap on the couch with his head resting in Zee's lap. The magician looked fondly at the man before sharing a smirk with Diana.

"Well, it's official," Barbara stated as she drew the team's attention back to her. "None of our civilian identities exist in this world, so we hopefully shouldn't be running into any mirrors of ourselves here."

"Good," noted Dick. That would make their lives infinitely less complicated.

"So does that mean we go back to our regular costumes then?" asked Zee contemplatively. Her hands itched subconsciously toward her head. To disguise herself, she'd reluctantly left her iconic top hat and wand behind.

"No," said Diana with authority. "Remember, we will also need to stop a threat on our own world too. We cannot afford to be recognised at all."

The other teammates (minus Wally who was still napping) agreed which pleased Barb no end. There was no way she would ever consent to dress as Batgirl ever again. Especially since Bruce and Tim were being complete assess to her at the moment. Plus, she quite liked her new outfit, thank you very much. She was wearing the same black domino mask as everyone else with a spandex singlet and full-leg tights. Eddie had kindly fashioned her an all-black wheelchair which matched her almost elbow-length gloves. Her hair was tied back in a single ponytail.

They spent at least the next half an hour making themselves familiar with the phenomenon known as mutants. It was certainly a novel concept for the heroes. A world made up of genetic chance was not what they'd been expecting. The fact that the gene appeared to manifest during puberty was of particular concern because wasn't being a teenager hard enough already without gaining superpowers?

Dick brought their attention to a news broadcast which featured the overtures of the Reach, which had been happily accepted by the current President of the United States. A groan went around the room. Despite knowing from Diana that the situation was going to become rather dire, they had still hoped this might be a quick-fix scenario.

"Well that's just great..." started Dick but a knock at the door stopped his soon-to-be rant. The members of the room froze.

"So much for the Do Not Disturb sign," muttered Barb to herself as she nodded to Eddie who was standing by the door.

"Who is it?" yelled Scout, so his words would hopefully be clearly heard through the door.

"I've come seeking an audience with the Oracle," noted a clear, cultured voice through the door.

Barbara felt her jaw drop but quickly snapped it shut again.

"You didn't answer my question," called out Eddie shrewdly. He looked through the peephole but there was no one in sight. He shrugged at the others to silently convey the fact.

"I didn't," agreed the voice, "but some conversations and details are more suited to the inside of a room, rather than in a public hallway."

Looks were exchanged around the suite and they wordlessly came to a positive consensus. Eddie edged the door open to see a middle-aged bald man sitting regally in a wheelchair. He smiled politely as he moved into the hotel room. When he heard the door shut behind him, he said, "Good afternoon. My name is Charles Xavier and I'm one of those mutants that you've spent the last hour or so researching."

Although no one moved, the tension in the room increased at the announcement.

"I understand your caution and doubts. Believe me, I've faced far more uncomfortable situations than this in my time," he chuckled as he continued to fill the silence of the room. His eyes flicked to Barbara's. "You're adjusting well to your recent situation, Oracle."

"Thank you," Barbara warily stated. "But how do you know that this is recent for me?"

Charles took in a small breath and looked like he was about to sigh. "My mutant ability allows me to hear and influence the thoughts of others."

This time there was a flurry of activity as the team took on defensive positions. All except Barb. "I assume that since we're not already comatose, that you're not here to cause us harm."

"Correct, Miss Gordon," said the man calmly with a slight smile.

The woman couldn't help but be taken by surprise. She didn't have a counterpart in this world and he somehow knew her name. His claims of psychic powers appeared to be genuine.

"In fact," the man continued, "I'm here to offer my assistance."

"Why?" Eddie asked as he leant against the closed door, his arms crossed.

"We had doubts that the Reach were who they appeared to be when they first arrived a week ago but they have already won a large portion of the public over already. A move against them now would turn public opinion against the perpetrators instead of the aliens themselves," explained the bald man.

"We?" Dick echoed questioningly.

"I head a team of mutants known as the X-men," announced Xavier to the surprised gasp of Zatanna. They had featured on the news before and appeared to be quite impressive. "Although Cyclops and Storm lead the field squads, the day-to-day decisions fall upon my shoulders as I founded the organisation many years ago."

"Hmmm," hummed Barbara to herself. The trained mutants were clearly aligned on the good side of the equation but she still had her reservations about the claim since it had been given to her by a self-proclaimed mind manipulator. "What form of assistance are you offering?" she asked.

The bald man smiled at her. "As I know that you've come here with the intention to defend us from the alien threat, I would like to offer a couple of my friends to help you in your mission."

"Really?" asked Diana suspiciously. "And how would they know the scope of your quest? Did you tell all of your X-men about us, even though if you had scanned our minds, you'd know that ours is a mission of secrecy?"

Charles Xavier shook his head. "I have not and will not tell a soul. In fact, the two X-men I have waiting in the lobby don't even know why they're here. I will not force them to work with you. If they choose not to, or you do not wish to engage their services, I will let the decision stand. There is nothing I cherish more in this world than free will, which is ironic I suppose given that I have the option to take that away."

Barbara looked at her teammates. "I'm willing to meet these X-men but I want to know if anyone disagrees. I may be leading you but I will always want to hear your opinions."

"Are you sure you're a Bat?" asked Dick with a snort and a smirk before anyone else could get a word in.

Barb sent him a withering glare as Wally said, "Dude, so not cool." His words startled the room as they were unaware that he had awoken. "She's not Batgirl anymore, obviously." He turned to look Barb's way. "I think we need all the help we can get with those bastards out there. Just don't make me dimensionally shift to save the world from them again, okay?"

Xavier blanched as he caught a flash of what had happened to the man from someone's mind.

The others shared their agreement with only Dick and Eddie showing more caution. Barb doubted that either man appreciated their shared stance on the issue as they began to stare levelly at each other.

"Fine," agreed Barb. "We'll meet them but don't expect us to accept them at the drop of a hat. If we choose to keep to ourselves for the moment, please don't take offence."

Turning his head to the side for a moment, Xavier glanced back at the woman. "Of course. I understand. They're on their way."

"How do you know that?" asked Wally with interest.

The older man smiled at the speedster, his eyes crinkling with delight. _I asked them like this, Mr West_, said Charles with his mind instead of his mouth.

"THAT'S SO AWESOME!" Scout yelled in amazement.

Dick's head tilted, "What's so awesome?" he asked in confusion.

Eddie huffed, attracting the man's attention. "Telepathic communication, obviously."

"Well just because..." started Dick but jaunty knocking on the door cut him off from the argument he was no doubt about to get into.

"Come in," called out Barb and the door swung open and admitted two mutants before it was closed and securely locked again. She couldn't help but gape at the woman in front of her, since her clothing assaulted her eyes. A bright yellow trench coat over a fluorescent pink top. Seriously? The man by her side, although somewhat hairy for a male, appeared the more reasonably attired of the two. He was simply dressed in a white singlet and jeans.

"Hey!" chirped the woman in a perky voice that Barb just knew would become grating over time. "The name's Jubilee. Pleasure to meet ya!"

The other man snorted. "Wolverine," he lowly growled. They seemed to be complete polar opposites.

"Wolverine possess an astounding regenerative ability in conjunction with an adamantium-plated skeleton," explained Charles. "He's the best fighter I've ever met and let's just say that I've come across many warriors in my time."

"Adamantium?" questioned Wally with interest. "What's that?"

"The strongest metal there is, Bub," the terse man supplied.

"Oh. I thought the three strongest metals were tungsten, osmium and titanium," said the speedster aloud to himself as he counted along on his fingers.

"Whatever, kid. Adamantium is the best there is, just like me," shrugged Wolverine.

Barb was a little taken aback by his words and how they didn't appear to be egotistical at all, merely the truth. He must be quite impressive. The combination of indestructible and self-healing sounded extraordinary. Her eyes flicked to the fluorescent monstrosity, causing the woman to smirk again.

"Me? I create fireworks. Excellent for demolition and radiance," she explained and held out a hand. Several small globes popped into existence before exploding in little paffs. "Just imagine that but a fuck-ton bigger."

Colour herself impressed, Barbara was all for letting them join the team if they wished to. She glanced at her comrades and each nodded in turn despite Dick's hesitance. Yes, she'd certainly take them if they wanted to help.

"My name is Oracle and I have a proposition for the two of you..." started Barbara.


	8. Blademaster I

**Oh, Just a Couple of Alien Invasions...**

_Chapter Eight - Blademaster_

As Barbara outlined the team's purpose and the finer details of their mission, Logan took in the pertinent information like a sponge. He just knew those Reach bastards were up to no good but it was satisfying to know that his intuition had been proven correct. Flicking his eyes to Xavier, he psychically let Chuck know that he was all for joining the adventure. Seriously, just as long as there was plenty of action to be had, he'd definitely be there.

"I, like, so want to help out," announced Jubilee to the room at large. She then started babbling and Wolverine took the time to take stock of the occupants.

The woman in the wheelchair seemed to be the leader. She had a toughness about her, despite her young age and Logan couldn't help but wonder if everyone in one of those metal contraptions were just as strong. Her eyes held a sadness that made him think her disability was a recent thing. She didn't seem to be too fond of Jubes' chirpiness either, which he could totally empathise with.

The second in command appeared to be the older gentleman with the light blue image on his chest. He could smell the man's slight fear and Logan wasn't sure if it was to do with the confined space or the people within it. His build was scrawny so his fighting skills were probably less than adequate. That meant he had smarts.

The man who stood by his side with long black hair to his shoulders seemed to despise the second in command and the feeling appeared to be mutual. Now he looked like a seasoned fighter although his musculature indicated his true strength involved flexibility. His muscles were too compact for anything else.

The final redheaded man was physically lean, as if he were built purely for speed. He also seemed a little twitchy but good-natured as a whole. His eyes skittered rapidly around the room and for some reason, he looked hopelessly happy. He also seemed to hold a sense of, desperation? Maybe he would make more sense in time.

The woman the redhead was leaning against exuded power. It was so potent he could almost smell it. It reminded him of the Sorcerer Supreme so chances were, she was a magic user of some sort.

The final occupant of the room had what looked to be a peacock emblazoned on her chest. Although she was standing at ease, it was clear that of everyone in the room, men included, she was the most battle-hardened warrior of all. He noted from her stance that she had many years' worth of training under her belt. In fact, he mused, she was probably much older than she appeared. If there was someone he shouldn't piss off, it was definitely her.

As always, it was Jubilee's voice that brought him out of his thoughts. That girl could probably wake the dead with her words if she applied herself. "Wait just a minute, here. Of course I can do that. Well, I think so. Maybe? I haven't really tried before but I suppose it's doable. What do you think, Logan? Can I pick the colours of my fireworks?" She looked imploringly at him.

Logan couldn't help but snort at the ridiculousness of his companion. "How the fuck would I know? It's your body. Your powers. Find out for yourself." The others in the room looked a little uneasy at how he spoke to her but the woman in question didn't even bat an eye.

"Oh, lighten up, Logie..." started the firecracker but cut herself off at the audible sound of a snikt. Barb's eyes widened at the metallic claws that emerged from his hands and Zee gasped but other than that, the rest of the team managed to mask their surprise at the development. Instead of being concerned, the Chinese-American woman rolled her eyes. "Seriously. Get over yourself."

"Don't call me that, Half-pint," Wolverine growled.

Jubilee rolled her eyes again. "Like you telling me that is really gonna stop me," she said sarcastically.

Wolverine just growled in response.

The pair stared at each other for a moment before Charles cleared his throat. "Truly," he began, "if you wish to avoid detection, Logan, you too will need to change your fighting style. Your claws are far too recognisable in this world."

Wolverine looked down at the blades in question and retracted them. It would be irritating by doable. "Fine," he grunted. "I'll strap out some katana." A small smile graced his lips. It'd been far too long since he'd felt their comforting weight in the palm of his hand. His old sensei would be deeply disappointed with him if he knew just how out of practice the mutant had become in the art of Samurai.

"Actually," decided Xavier while drawing Wolverine's attention back to the present, "take yourself and Jubilee to the mansion and collect anything you believe you'll need for the foreseeable future; it will be a long mission. Then meet us at my cottage in Pennsylvania." At Barb's not so subtle clearing of her throat, the wheelchair-bound man looked slightly guiltily in her direction. "That is, of course, if you consent for these two to join your team."

"I have no objections," stated Barb. She looked at Eddie who carelessly shrugged back, indicating his indifference. The others added affirmative votes and in the end, the six agreed. They would indeed accept the X-men's help in their mission.

"Alright Chuck, we'll meet you there," said Wolverine as he made his way to the doorway. "C'mon Jubes," he added as he reached for the doorknob."

"Logan," called out the Professor, causing the man in question to freeze. "Make sure that you actually let the others know that you'll be unavailable from now onward. Also, bring Forge with you. I believe he will be invaluable to the Party and their quest."

"Party?" inquired Dick. The man had stressed the word a little and it had caught his attention.

"Well, it is what one generally calls a collective of fantasy heroes on a campaign together. That is the theme you have chosen to stylise yourselves after, is it not?" Charles looked smugly around the room. "Let's face it, it's certainly better than 'The Team'."

Wally and Zee started laughing while Dick looked on, his disdain visible on his face. Barb allowed a sincere smile to grace her face. "That sounds great. We're now the Party."

"Everyone loves a good party," agreed Jubes. "Anywho, we've gotta jet, like literally, so we'll catch up with y'all soon, alrighty?"

Wolverine nodded once to the others before leading Jubilee out to the Blackbird.

As was her nature, the woman burbled about the exciting changes headed their way the entire flight back to Westchester. Wolverine just rolled his eyes and added monosyllabic answers to her random questions and kept his thoughts to himself. When they touched down, he reminded her not to tell the others where they were headed and to be back on the plane with all her effects within the hour or he'd leave her behind.

Wolverine's first instinct was to alert Jean to his soon to be absence but she would pick up on his thoughts immediately. Storm was probably in Wakanda with her fiancé which didn't really leave himself anyone worth telling except Rogue. He tracked down the Southern Belle and asked her to let the others know that he had some business to take care of. When he'd secured her affirmation, he made his way to the lab in the basement but couldn't find Forge anywhere.

After searching the mansion and wasting most of his time trying to find the technological mutant, Logan stopped by his room. It was rather Spartan with very few meaningful trappings. His samurai swords were prominently displayed on the walls and despite having not picked them up in ages, he felt compelled to grasp one with a purple hilt that he'd earned from a master in Okinawa. It was a genuine Masamune blade forged in the master swordsmith's later years. Sitting below it was its slightly smaller twin which he also retrieved in his off hand.

The two blades had been in the possession of the Toyotomi family as they ruled Japan in the late sixteenth century. The first (Yami Masamune - katana of darkness) belonged to Hideyoshi, who was both an Imperial Regent of Japan for six years and Chancellor of the Realm for eleven. The second (Hikari Masamune - katana of light) was gifted from Hideyoshi to his favoured wife, Nene. The pair balanced each other perfectly and Logan refused to separate them. In fact, dual wielding the two swords would be more like his normal style of fighting so it would make it easier for him to adapt quickly.

Wolverine carefully placed the two blades onto a towel from his bathroom and gently wrapped them up. He then threw a few pairs of singlets and jeans into a travel bag with a few other items and made his way to the hangar.

Jubilee was already seated within the Blackbird, three massive canary yellow bags were secured in the cargo net behind her. Why on Earth did she need that much shit? He glanced down at his half-filled duffle bag and back at the woman's luggage. How ridiculous. He was going to send a smart ass comment her way but she was tapping a foot to some goddam awful pop music on her iPod as she chewed her ever-present gum, her eyes closed.

The man secured his few possessions next to the firecracker's and was about to leave the jet to find Forge when the Native American Indian entered the aircraft.

"Where were you hiding before?" grunted Wolverine to the technological genius.

Forge blinked a couple of times and a puzzled look crossed his face. "You know, I'm not entirely sure. The last thing I remember was getting a snack from the kitchen." He frowned to himself as he strapped himself into the co-pilot seat.

"How did you know that we Chuck needed you to come with us?" asked Logan suspiciously.

The Indian shrugged in response. "No idea. I just know that I'm needed. Hopefully when we get, er, wherever we're going, it will all make sense."

"I hope so," growled Logan as he sat at the pilot's station. Soon the Blackbird was airborne and headed toward Charles' property just north of Montgomery. It backed onto forestland, which provided perfect cover for the hidden landing site of the high-tech jet.

The ride was smooth and brief since Pennsylvania was New York's eastern neighbouring state. In no time, the Blackbird was descending into the hangar and the three mutants were disembarking. They entered the small cottage without knocking, knowing that Xavier would have already psychically detected their presence. Unfortunately, they hadn't counted on their leader's 'guests' reaction to being surprised.

Wolverine found himself on the floor immediately, the twitchy redhead sitting on top of him with his fist raised and ready to punch. He saw Jubilee get some sort of boomerang-esque metallic projectile hurled at her chest while the older woman literally flew at Forge and easily pinned him to a wall.

"Stop," commanded Xavier loudly and the people in the room froze. "Please release each other and move back to your seats. We're all on the same side," he soothed.

There was a prolonged moment where everyone stayed still but it was soon broken and activity resumed. The redhead apologised and held out a hand to Logan but the mutant growled and got to his feet by his own power. Kids nowadays.

"Whoa," chirped Jubilee enthusiastically, "you guys are good! I mean, like, I know you look cool in your leather and all but wow, those were some quick reflexes there."

"Thanks," said Barb tersely and Logan couldn't help but smirk. The leader was already sick of his friend's prattle. This was going to be an amusing mission. How long would it take the woman to crack? His estimate - a week, tops.

"Ugh!" growled Forge before he doubled over. Jubilee went over to help him back to his feet before she shrieked and backed away. When the mutant looked up, it was clearly obvious why. Forge's eyes had turned a luminous red.

Immediately, nearly everyone in the room was poised to strike him but it was the older woman who yelled out, "No!" When it was clear that the others were not going to attack the mutant she gracefully bowed low to the man. "Mighty Hephaestus, you honour us with your presence."

"Diana of Themyscira," spoke the mutant but it was clear to Logan that it was no longer Forge's calming voice, this one sounded like it was echoing from a faraway mountain. He'd seen possessions before and knew this was one of those times. With the way this Diana chick was acting, the possessor was not a harmful creature. "I see you bear the crest of Hera. She has seen to your future happiness." His red eyes scanned the rest in the room, before settling on the second in command. "You are an odd choice for Athena but her intelligence far outstrips my own. You must be worthy."

The man being assessed by not-Forge blushed a horrid red as the younger man who seemed to despise him snickered unkindly.

Hephaestus turned his attention to the woman in the wheelchair. "Barbara Gordon, come forth." Logan watched as the woman fearlessly rolled forward. Not-Forge knelt down in front of her and clasped her hands when they left the wheels of her prison. "I too suffered a crippling injury when I was once thrown from Olympus. I sense that this is still new for you and change takes time but do not despair, little one. I bestow the gift of craftsmanship upon you. As your skill grows, so too will your vision. My words will become clearer in time."

"Thank you," Barbara all but whispered. She bowed her head but lifted it to look at Hephaestus, who was reaching toward her. The possessed man reached out and placed his hand on her chest.

Nothing appeared to happen for a moment and Logan wondered if Not-Forge just wanted to cop a feel. Suddenly, there was a flash of bright orange light and when it had diminished, the red was gone from his eyes. Forge blinked a few times before collapsing forward into the still stunned wheelchair bound woman with a sigh.

Wolverine raced over and collected his colleague from Barbara's lap before settling him into a cosy lounge chair. He noticed that a bright orange cog was now emblazoned upon her leather singlet.

"Well, that was, weird," commented Jubilee. She looked worriedly at Forge before her gaze was drawn to Charles.

"He's merely unconscious," the bald man commented, putting the young woman completely at ease.

"Was that really a God?" asked the redheaded guy with keen interest. He was looking at Diana with extremely large eyes.

"Aye," the woman agreed. "Hephaestus is the husband of Aphrodite and the master blacksmith of Olympus. He singlehandedly crafted all the weapons of the Gods."

"Wow," said the redhead and Jubes at the same time.

"Indeed," agreed Diana. "This mechanical man must have been the nearest appropriate vessel for Hephaestus to inhabit."

"Yes," said Xavier. "It does make sense as Forge's mutant ability allows him to understand and construct any machine. In every sense, he is master craftsman in his own right."

"That's incredible," sighed the younger brunette woman in awe. "Your mutations are truly wondrous."

Logan at first thought she was making fun of them but her scent indicated she was telling the truth. It was a strange thing for someone to be so open toward mutants but then again, they were from another world. Perhaps, they have some marvellous things there too. He'd have to find that out for himself.


End file.
